A Tale of Giant Rabbits and Magic Mushrooms

Posted on Sun Apr 20th, 2025 @ 12:54pm by Lieutenant (J.G.) Dylan Blake & Commander Zhora zh'Roothi & Ensign Jack Winters & Ensign Lucy Summers
Edited on on Sun Apr 20th, 2025 @ 2:25pm

2,687 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Short Treks
Location: Undisclosed

OOC: Inspired by the Easter competition

While it had been a welcomed change to get off the ship and explore the strangeness of a planet human or Starfleet had never set foot on before Ops officer Lieutenant JG Dylan Blake was bored. This expedition had been mostly for the science team to get excited about something and to quiet down the astrology guys who had been enjoying the limelight charting new stars and mapping out the Gamma Quadrant having gained an uneasy truce with the Dominion.

While the science team spoke in hurried tones about the fauna and soil sample along with the unrecorded, yet so far harmless wildlife they’d documented Blake had been studying rock samples attempting to determine if the level of dilithium they contained was pure enough to use for an emergency backup. It was unlikely they’d ever need to use it as the Enterprise was extremely well kitted out but an order was an order he sighed and tossed a rock piece aside and selected another to inspect.

“You could at least pretend to look interested, Dylan,” the voice of Winters whispered directly into his right ear unexpectedly.

“Christ!” Blake hissed in surprise and toppled sideways off his hunches and into the dirt before reaching to swat his friend.

Ensign Jack Winters was not only stealthy, he was nimble too and easily dodged Blake’s poor attempt to catch up. He sniggered when his friend continued to shift off balance and roll forward into the rich soil thus staining both his face and uniform in the process.

Winters was one of the excited science officers Blake had been brooding over and boy did it show. “This place is amazing,” he blurted. “There’s so much to study - I wish the Commander would allow us to bring more samples back to study but she insists we stick religiously to the time frame the Commodore has set.”

“He was very clear Jack,” Blake sat himself upright and attempted to brush off the dirt of his shirtfront. “Six hours, seven if we tolerate the cold temperature after the sun sets any longer and it's too dangerous. If you want to freeze your ass off down here be my quest.”

“But it’s those huge temperature swings that make this planet so exciting. Everything lives at supersonic speed to survive. Take those trees for example - how old do you think they are?”

Blake shrugged. “Normally I’d say two hundred or more but something tells me that’s not right.”

“Exactly.” Winters swooped down to share the data he’d collected. “Forty five - I mean look at this one,” he jabbed at the tricorder. “It’s already fifteen meters tall and the trunk is so wide Summer’s can’t wrap her arms around it!”

“Summer’s can barely hug me,” Blake scoffed. “She’s tiny,” he added. It was true the Trill woman was tiny, but bright as a button and pretty - Dylan was still working on the courage to ask her for a drink but hadn’t quite managed it yet.

“That’s beside the point,” Winters continued. “This place is something else - check out these mushrooms I found. They grew right before my eyes - it was incredible, and look, they continued to grow after I picked them.” The young man fished out the fungi from his pockets and thrust them under Blake’s nose. The grey brown specimens were smaller than he expected and looked very similar to the common chestnut mushroom found in most meals on the ship.

“They also taste really good too.”

Blake quickly snapped his eyes up from the gathering with alarm: “You’ve eaten some! Are you crazy?”

“Oh please I checked they were safe beforehand and they'll totally harmless” Winters rolled his eyes and the comment. “Besides, I was really hungry.”

“Hun - “ Blake stopped himself mid sentence. Jack was not only an annoying science boy he was also one of those insufferable people who could eat all day long and remain skinny despite the number of calories he put away. Consequently he was always hungry and would moan about it on most days. “You already ate the rations we were provided?” he asked.

“Duh,” Winters responded. “I managed to make the horrible things taste nicer with the black berries I found - I’ve still got the stains under my nails.” he twisted his wrist to show off the purple stained fingertips.

Blake looked skywards and bit back a sigh at his friend's actions. The rations had been carefully calculated to ensure a steady release of energy to combat the long day and to aid in stemming off the chill that would later come. At this rate Winters would have consumed a vegetable platter and fruit basket for desert before they returned to the ship. Unfortunately Blake also shared a cabin with Winters therefore would hear about this adventure for a long time to come especially if his culinary discoveries turned out not to be so safe after all.

He closed his eyes to thought and forced himself to focus on the babberling Winters was now spewing. “---made any geology discoveries?”

Luckily they moved onto a topic Blake understood. “In comparison to everything you've said about this place, no. There’s nothing exciting to report. The dilithium we detected on approach is only localised here and isn’t pure enough to be of any real use to the ship.”

“That’s disappointing.” Winters replied a touch crestfallen. “What about down there?” He pointed his tricorder further down the bank where they sat. “I can see some cavities, maybe there’s something down there to check out?”

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes for the upteenth time Blake took the bait. “Like what?”

Winters didn’t respond at first as he continued to read the tricorder.

“Jack?” Blake pressed.

“I think there’s a lifeform down there. I think it's a den or something.” the science officer responded slowly not trusting his data

“Give me that,” Blake took the scanner sensing his bunkmate's hesitation. Jabbing at the controls he handed it back to Winters. “There’s nothing there, unless you’re counting the ijolite and basalt which I’m sure someone in science will be fascinated to know are here. But there’s no lifeform.”

Winters’ face turned steely and he snatched the tricored back before rising. “I’ll show you!” He hissed before setting off down the bank at pace.

“Jack, wait!” Blake called after him concerned the Ensign would slip on the loose scree on the bank as he headed downwards recklessly. Cursing under his breath Blake stumbled after him, meanwhile his own tricorder bleeped informing him another hour had drawn to a close. If they hadn’t reported back to the landing zone in the next hour Commander zh’Roothi would skin them - better her than the Commodore he summarised.

Winters was sure footed as he moved down the bank, the descent was steeper than he first thought but he wasn't concerned about retracing his steps right now as he continued to move forward blinkeredly to prove himself. Behind he could hear Blake shouting for him to stop or slow down and normally he’d listen especially as Blake's tone became more pleading with each passing step. However, he was blindsided by his determination; he barely paused to flick up a flashlight before dropping to the low den and out of sight.

“Jack!” Blake shouted with cold fear as the young man jumped into the darkness.

A scream arose from the den.

Cursing loudly Blake pushed on and slipped on his ass down the steep bank desperate to help. The cry had bought his already racing heart into overdrive and his hands to tremble as he tugged the phaser from the holster. Clenching his jaw he too stepped into the den, into a dark, cool void that was occupied.

There was a drop immediately inside the entrance, that was where he found Winters - or for a more accurate term where he landed on him. The two of them gasped, feeling winded by the impact and their equipment had spilled deeper into the den.

“You OK?” Blake asked softly, having wiggled himself onto solid ground and feeling guilty he may have injured him.

Winters shook his head in the half light, his round face shining with sweat. “I think my ankle is busted,” he replied hoarsely. “But that’s not important. Look” he pointed in the direction of their fallen flashlights.”I told you.”

Blake twisted round and froze at the sight before them.

In the puddles of light he could make out the silhouette of something big, hairy and white. It shifted round the den with erratic movements clearly surprised by the intrusion but hadn’t made any attempts to attack them yet.

“What…is…” Blake squinted attempting to identify what he was seeing. “Is that a giant rabbit?” he asked out loud.

“How did…?” Winters began to ask behind him when there was a sudden scurry beyond their vision.

“Get down!” Blake launched himself down to shield his friend from danger and they both collectively held their breath under a fluffy of limbs thundering overhead and out into the daylight.

They lay still for a moment or two: “Have they gone?” Winters whispered.

Cautiously Blake lifted himself up to surveyed the gloom which appeared now empty and their equipment now within easy reach. Scooping up both tricorder and phaser Blake vaulted up to the mouth of the opening and peered out.

“Can you stand?” he asked his friend sliding back down, “You’re going to want to see this.”

Winters frowned, surprised by Blake’s choice of words. “I think so, though I might need a hand.”

“Just go slow and gentle,” Blake eased the Ensign upright and bolstered him up to the entrance they’d so eagerly stepped through moments earlier.

“Merlin’s Beard…”Winters whispered at the sight that greeted him. Scattered up and down the bank, making quick work of the steep sides bounced a family of white rabbits, only like everything else on this planet they weren’t ordinary rabbits they were huge. The nearest, probably the alpha, would easily be six foot when sitting upright not including the ears.

“You getting this?” Blake asked his friend.

“You bet,” Winters’ tricoder was whirling softly. “How did they get here?”

“Beats me,” the Lieutenant shrugged, “Another mystery for your department to unpick.”

“Huh.”

The two watched as the family continued to shuffle peacefully around the scree as if hunting for food, some had ventured higher up and continued their search.

“Oh.” Winters said breaking the tranquillity.

“What now?” Blake asked.

“Rabbits are normally prey, right? And if these are this big I don’t want to see what hunts them.” Winters turned. “ We should try and get out of here.”

“On that I agree,” Blake nodded. “Let’s start with getting out of this - “

“Burrow.”

“Yeah, burrow. Come on, lean on me and I’ll lift you out.”

“Blake and Winters come in.” the voice of Commander zh’Roothi sounded through their comm and as predicted she didn’t sound pleased they’d missed the deadline.

The two junior officers exchanged worried looks - however the stern First Officer was quickly put aside as something much closer caught their attention.

The alpha had reacted to the hail and turned towards them, its giant ears flickered and nose twitched pinpointing their location and scent.

“Dylan,” Winters whispered lowly “Keep still.” he advised as the alpha continued to watch them.

“Blake and Winters come in.” the thrill continued and aggravated the giant creature further.

“Stun it!” Winters hissed.

“Are you kidding!” Blake replied. “The others will come charging in!”

“Maybe the Commander can beam us out of here.”

“Not likely, that;s why we came on the shuttle.”

“Oh yeah the interference,”

“Winters…Blake..” their comm chirped again with increasing distress.

Over Blake’s shoulder Winters could see the big alpha rear up and swallowed hard as it locked eyes with the human. With a blood chilling moment as the alpha’s teeth were visible for the first time Winters realised his hypothesis was incorrect.

These rabbits weren’t prey animals like on Earth - they were the carnivores and had been deciding if humans were on tonight's menu. In his eagerness to impress Jack Winters had led the two of them into death's jaw.

“I’m so sorry my friend.” he whispered as the enormous rabbit advanced upon them….


_________________

“Blake, Winters!”

Commander zh’Roothi shook the two men firmly by the shoulders in a bid to wake them. The Andorian First Officer had been alerted to their condition by Ensign Summers who'd discovered their comatose state a short while ago.

She glanced up at Doctor Felix with irritation: “Why aren’t they responding?”

“There is slumber is deep and unnatural,” she replied. “Induced perhaps. Ensign, did you see anything else before you raised the alarm?”

Timidly Summers shook her head. “No, sorry ma’am. I knew Jake wanted to show Dylan some of the discoveries we’d made as he was very excited. He thought Dylan looked bored sorting the rocks and wanted something interesting to do.”

“Did he stipulate?” zh’Roothi asked.

“Jack has a keen interest in fauna,” Summers added. “He did show me some berries earlier.”

The Andorian exchanged glances with the Doctor momentarily before forming a new approach. The Commander gently searched Winter’s pockets, turning out leaves, grasses, a still wiggling bright orange beetle (she made a mental note to remind Winters later of the importance of following protocols regarding containment of live specimens) and cringed when her fingers found something soft.

Withdrawing her hand she passed the squashed mushrooms for Felix to examine.

“Ahh,” the Doctor cooed. “Yes, these are likely the cause. Their neurotransmitters have been knocked out of sync, tricking the mind into believing it's time to sleep. And judging by these readings a rather eventful sleep.

“An hallucinogenic?”

“I believe so.” Flex nodded. “ I should be able to restore the neurotransmitters in order to wake them, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they both experience further issues in their gastro tract later.”

“I’ll be sure to debrief them in sickbay,” zh’Roothi replied dryly.


_________________


On the shuttle under the watchful eye of Felix Blake and Winter sat huddled together feeling rather under the weather from their ordeal.

“Stupid mushrooms,” Winters muttered feeling queasy.

“Yeah, and I was stupid enough to trust you to try them.” Blake replied lowly feeling as equally ill.

“So the giant rabbits were just a dream then?”

“So it seems.”

Winters nodded then stopped as his head spun. “But…. we shared it… that’s not normal.”

Blake wasn’t interested in Winters’ hypnosis he just wanted his shuttle to get back to the Enterprise quickly before he vomited on the deck. “What?” he croaked.

“We were both there!” Winters came to life anew and rummaged through equipment pack the Commander zh’Roothi hadn’t quarantined or confiscated. “The tricorder…” Winters started before his pack was quickly snatched from his grasp by Blake who couldn’t hold on any longer.

The occupants of the shuttle all shifted uncomfortably at the sound of the Lieutenant’s blight, only did Felix move forward to console him.

Stunned Winters blinked as his pack was ruined by Blake but not oddly the prospect of losing some precious specimens or by the humiliation of the scene they were causing. He was staring at the tricorder with numbness as it had documented their findings of the colony of giant white rabbits. It wasn’t the result of a weird dream after all - just a weird planet.

He sat back feeling a touch smug of their discovery and began fantasise names for the giant creatures. As Blake continued to heave into the pack Winters was sure his friend would forgive him one day as their names were entered into the history books.

 

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